Amy
16.08.2006, 15:41 |
borderline hypo? (Thyroid Conditions & Hair Loss) |
I haven't posted in quite awhile, because I thought for a while the hair loss was getting better. Then, I realized it wasn't and I was just so down, I couldn't bring myself to post. I've felt like giving up so many times, it seems like there's just nothing I can do. But, I'm back and ready to fight again. Here's my situation, I'll try to be brief: Hair loss started at around age 20, after dr. put me on loestrin. I had other side effects as well, stopped menstruating, dizziness, developed hypoglycemia, low blood pressure, I didn't feel well most of the time. I went to doctor after doctor, all telling me there's nothing wrong with me. Meanwhile, the hair loss and other symptoms continued. I switched to yasmin, and had regrowth at first, then the hair loss started again. I went off the pill entirely, thinking that would stop it, but it didn't, I kept losing my hair. (I've lost a good 50% or more so far, but because it was very thick to begin with, it still looks OK.) I did get a doctor to test my estrogen levels after my pleading, and found they are at the menopausal level, even though I'm now only 24. THe dr. did not say why they would be this low, just skated over the topic of why. This is a familiar story for most of us, I think. In desperation, I went to Dr. Redmond, even though I couldn't really afford it. He found I was borderline hypothyroid, and put me on a low dose of synthroid, and a new b/c pill which I take without the "blank pills" to keep a steady dose of estrogen up. He was the first dr. to take the time and not insinuate I was crazy. Unfortunately, taking synthroid requires many visits to the endo and I just could not afford Dr. Redmonds fees each time. So, I had to go off the synthroid (which didn't seem to be helping me anyway) and my primary physician won't prescribe it. So, I have to find an endo. who will take my health insurance, and will treat a borderline hypo, and from what I understand, most of them won't. Anyway, here's my lab results if anyone can tell me what looks suspicious here, please respond. TSh 3.97; T3 Free 243; T3 total 102; T4 Free 1.3; T4 total 6.6; FSH 1.0; LH less than 7; Progesterone 22; estrogen less than 32; cortisol 15.4. I don't have my ferrutin levels, I guess they didn't test for those. Can anyone interpret these, and tell me what you think? Thanks!
Amy is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: YES |
HairSite Admin
17.08.2006, 03:15
@ Amy
|
borderline hypo? |
Hi
I would like to know the timing of the tests.
1.The thyroid results look absolutely normal ( I presume that you were not taking synthyroid during the test.
2.Regarding the sex hormone levels opinion can be given only after knowing when it was done - I mean which part of the menstrual cycle it was done.
3.Regarding cortisol - I want to know whether it was done in the morning or evening.
Also I would like to know whether you were on any other drugs.
Give me the details so that I can help you.
HairSite Admin is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: NO ---
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ms.libby
17.08.2006, 22:36
@ Amy
|
borderline hypo? |
Without the test ranges used to determine your test results it's near impossible to interpret your blood work. However since you TSH is near 4.0 I will say the it appears you are indeed hypothyroid as the new test ranges use 3.0 as the upper limit - which you're well over. Even with a TSH in the over 2.0 range many docs will treat for hypothryoidism.
Did you get any of the thyroid antibodies tests done? This will determine if you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis or Hypothryoidism - 2 different conditions and can certianly have different treatments. Only Hashimoto's will reveal active antibodies - so important tests to have. Insist in them.
Anemia and thyroid disorders go hand in hand. I'll be surprised if you have a ferritin level in normal range. This will be a constant battle to keep in higher range for most thyroid types.
Your cortisol appears low. Better to have a 24 hr. saliva cortisol done to determine what's going on w/the adrenals - as you need to treat the adrenals along with thyroid for positive results.
Do you have any scalp pain/itch/sensations? These are common w/thryoid hair loss as well as seborrhea - which can be a secondary condition to thyroid as DHT's process is accelerated with thyroid disease and seborrhea is related to oil on the scalp (and DHT produces oil from it's androgen influence). So keep your hair very clean. Spiroactone/Aldactone may help you in a very low dose as it reduces oil in the skin.
Also get serum tests for these things:
Zinc+Copper - the proper ratio for these are at least 10 parts zinc to 1 part copper - this ratio is imperative to hair health!
Selenium/Magnesium/Vitamin A/Vitamin B12/Vitamin B5+B6/Calcium
Get urine tests for these things:
1) Iodine (search "Iodoral" for a link for a test kit)
2) Cortisol (search "Stopthethryoidmadness/adrenal-info"" - lots of good info with some self-tests for adrenal function)
Do a self-test with Iodine tincture (like used for cuts):
Apply a dab of iodine to the belly - a quarter size dab of the liquid - at night before bed. Check it the morning. If you do not need added iodine then the patch will still be visible in 24 hrs - if not then you're iodine deficient. Mine disappeared in 8 hrs. and did so for several days.....
Your estrogen was also very low. So some of your hair loss might be not from androgen excess but rather estrogen deficiency. Remember that added estrogen inhibits thyroid - it is antagonistic to the thyroid - so important to keep testing once you begin both sets of supplementation to keep balanced.
Thyroid balance is for LIFE - do not think for a moment that you can take the same dose of thyroid meds and never worry about it again - if you are truly hypothyroid - especially if Hashimoto's - then plan on getting blood work very often - every 2-3 mos. the first year - to find your levels to be in balance and stave off the hairloss. Autoimmune hairloss is hallmark of thyroid disease - just a symptom and will most likely occur every time your medication is in need of rebalancing. ALSO...very important to know....you will need to be aware of a seasonal dose possibility - so when the weather gets very hot or very cold you may need to adjust your dose DOWN in HOT weather and UP in COLD weather - to keep the thyroid balanced.
So hopefully this helped a little - good luck to you. You might be better off doing more research online as this portion of Hairsite is really quite inactive - which is sad as I think alot of the gals here don't realize that their hairloss might really be thyroid related and they're blaming it on other things. And rightly so since most docs don't know squat about the thryoid and pass it off for other things - so it goes undiagnosed and that's why their hairloss continues. Sad but true.
Take care-
Lib
ms.libby is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: YES |
amy
19.08.2006, 05:57
@ ms.libby
|
borderline hypo? |
» Without the test ranges used to determine your test results it's near
» impossible to interpret your blood work. However since you TSH is near
» 4.0 I will say the it appears you are indeed hypothyroid as the new test
» ranges use 3.0 as the upper limit - which you're well over. Even with a
» TSH in the over 2.0 range many docs will treat for hypothryoidism.
» Did you get any of the thyroid antibodies tests done? This will determine
» if you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis or Hypothryoidism - 2 different
» conditions and can certianly have different treatments. Only Hashimoto's
» will reveal active antibodies - so important tests to have. Insist in
» them.
» Anemia and thyroid disorders go hand in hand. I'll be surprised if you
» have a ferritin level in normal range. This will be a constant battle to
» keep in higher range for most thyroid types.
» Your cortisol appears low. Better to have a 24 hr. saliva cortisol done to
» determine what's going on w/the adrenals - as you need to treat the
» adrenals along with thyroid for positive results.
» Do you have any scalp pain/itch/sensations? These are common w/thryoid
» hair loss as well as seborrhea - which can be a secondary condition to
» thyroid as DHT's process is accelerated with thyroid disease and seborrhea
» is related to oil on the scalp (and DHT produces oil from it's androgen
» influence). So keep your hair very clean. Spiroactone/Aldactone may help
» you in a very low dose as it reduces oil in the skin.
» Also get serum tests for these things:
» Zinc+Copper - the proper ratio for these are at least 10 parts zinc to 1
» part copper - this ratio is imperative to hair health!
» Selenium/Magnesium/Vitamin A/Vitamin B12/Vitamin B5+B6/Calcium
» Get urine tests for these things:
» 1) Iodine (search "Iodoral" for a link for a test kit)
» 2) Cortisol (search "Stopthethryoidmadness/adrenal-info"" - lots of good
» info with some self-tests for adrenal function)
» Do a self-test with Iodine tincture (like used for cuts):
» Apply a dab of iodine to the belly - a quarter size dab of the liquid - at
» night before bed. Check it the morning. If you do not need added iodine
» then the patch will still be visible in 24 hrs - if not then you're iodine
» deficient. Mine disappeared in 8 hrs. and did so for several days.....
» Your estrogen was also very low. So some of your hair loss might be not
» from androgen excess but rather estrogen deficiency. Remember that added
» estrogen inhibits thyroid - it is antagonistic to the thyroid - so
» important to keep testing once you begin both sets of supplementation to
» keep balanced.
» Thyroid balance is for LIFE - do not think for a moment that you can take
» the same dose of thyroid meds and never worry about it again - if you are
» truly hypothyroid - especially if Hashimoto's - then plan on getting blood
» work very often - every 2-3 mos. the first year - to find your levels to be
» in balance and stave off the hairloss. Autoimmune hairloss is hallmark of
» thyroid disease - just a symptom and will most likely occur every time
» your medication is in need of rebalancing. ALSO...very important to
» know....you will need to be aware of a seasonal dose possibility - so when
» the weather gets very hot or very cold you may need to adjust your dose
» DOWN in HOT weather and UP in COLD weather - to keep the thyroid balanced.
»
» So hopefully this helped a little - good luck to you. You might be better
» off doing more research online as this portion of Hairsite is really quite
» inactive - which is sad as I think alot of the gals here don't realize
» that their hairloss might really be thyroid related and they're blaming it
» on other things. And rightly so since most docs don't know squat about the
» thryoid and pass it off for other things - so it goes undiagnosed and
» that's why their hairloss continues. Sad but true.
» Take care-
» Lib
In response to the two posts, first of all, thanks so much for replying. The other night I found myself crying hysterically because its been 4 yrs now and I'm still not finding help. I can't help but feel its so unfair, I've been this way since I was 20, I'm young and I should feel well, and not be losing my hair. Oh well, enough of the self pity. As for when, during my menstrual cycle I had the hormone testing, I couldn't say because I wasn't menstruating at all at that point, I hadn't had a period for almost a year, which is why I begged them to test me. I wasn't on any drugs at the time. I can't really recall the time of day the cortisol test was done, these lab results are old, about 9 months ago. I haven't had any done since, so who knows what they are now, but I am assuming they haven't improved, since none of my symptoms have improved. I don't see any lab tests for thyroid antibodies, which I am going to ask for at my next appt. I am trying a new doctor, an endo who takes a holistic approach. Hopefully, I'll get more help. Its funny, because I don't have all the symptoms of hypothyroid, my hair is falling out, but it's not dry. I don't feel cold, I usually feel hot, but I remember that I used to feel cold all the time. I think I may have adrenal fatigue as well, since I have low blood pressure and hypoglycemia, both symptoms of adrenal fatigue, I believe. Both my grandmother and my aunt have hyperthyroid, so I know there is a family history of thyroid problems, but I don't think I am hyper, more likely hypo, so I don't know if the family hx of hyper is relevant. I am going to post of the stopthethyroidmadness.com site, as you suggested. Thanks so much for all the helpful info.
amy is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: YES |
Whitney
Az,
25.08.2006, 21:19
@ amy
|
borderline hypo? |
Have you been tested for PCOS?
Whitney is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: YES |
amy
30.08.2006, 20:52
@ Whitney
|
borderline hypo? |
Yes, I was, the dr said I didn't have pcos. Recently, I went to a new dr, an internist who takes a holistic approach. I am not sure if he will help with the hair loss, but he feels all my other health issues have an underlying cause, and the first step is to find it. Plus, he prescribes armour instead of synthroid, and if I do need thyroid meds, I prefer the armour as it is natural as opposed to synthroid which is synthentic. Most people seem to feel armour is better, as it has both t3 and t4 in it, while synthroid has only t4. He ordered many tests, and has me on an elimination diet, to rule out food allergies. I know that allergies don't cause hair loss, but he is trying to find out any and all health problems, which is a first. At least, I can hopefully find out what else is going on with my body. I guess I am hoping that my hair loss is related to hypothyroid as that can be treated. It makes sense to rule it out, anyway. I get so tired of going to doctors and not getting anywhere. I hope this time, I will make some headway. I think, for my hormone imbalances, an endo or a gyno is probably the person to treat it, but I've been to both and they haven't been much help. I am going to look over the list of hair loss specialists in NY that is on this site. But, one thing I have noticed lately is the good doctors don't seem to take health insurance, and this is a financial strain for me. I've been to redmond, who didn't take health insurance, my new internist doesn't either, and I just don't know much more I can afford to spend. Any recommendations for a good NYC doctor who does take health insurance?
amy is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: YES |
76
07.09.2006, 21:57
@ amy
|
borderline hypo? |
» Yes, I was, the dr said I didn't have pcos. Recently, I went to a new dr,
» an internist who takes a holistic approach. I am not sure if he will help
» with the hair loss, but he feels all my other health issues have an
Amy,
What is dr. redmond like? I've read mostly negative remarks about him so I decided not to see him.
» underlying cause, and the first step is to find it. Plus, he prescribes
» armour instead of synthroid, and if I do need thyroid meds, I prefer the
» armour as it is natural as opposed to synthroid which is synthentic. Most
» people seem to feel armour is better, as it has both t3 and t4 in it, while
» synthroid has only t4. He ordered many tests, and has me on an elimination
» diet, to rule out food allergies. I know that allergies don't cause hair
» loss, but he is trying to find out any and all health problems, which is a
» first. At least, I can hopefully find out what else is going on with my
» body. I guess I am hoping that my hair loss is related to hypothyroid as
» that can be treated. It makes sense to rule it out, anyway. I get so
» tired of going to doctors and not getting anywhere. I hope this time, I
» will make some headway. I think, for my hormone imbalances, an endo or a
» gyno is probably the person to treat it, but I've been to both and they
» haven't been much help. I am going to look over the list of hair loss
» specialists in NY that is on this site. But, one thing I have noticed
» lately is the good doctors don't seem to take health insurance, and this
» is a financial strain for me. I've been to redmond, who didn't take
» health insurance, my new internist doesn't either, and I just don't know
» much more I can afford to spend. Any recommendations for a good NYC
» doctor who does take health insurance?
76 is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: YES |
amy to 76
13.09.2006, 06:03
@ 76
|
borderline hypo? |
Well, I liked Dr. Redmond, just for the simple fact that he was the first doctor who took me seriously. He didn't try to tell me there was nothing wrong, it was stress, etc. He said yes, b/c pills can cause hair loss and that I had been on, in his opinion, the worst pill ever marketed. But, his solution was the same one I guess he gives everyone: bcp and spiro. He did suggest yasmin at first, but I had been on that before and it didn't help. So he put me on desogen, a hair friendly pill. I chose not to take the spiro at that time. I didn't really want the bcp either, but I had such low estrogen levels that he felt I needed it, and hoped the estrogen in the pill would help my hair. It hasn't though. He did run tests and found my borderline hypo, which he gave me a low dose of synthroid for. It didn't help either. But, I know with thyroid, you have to keep adjusting and trying to find the proper dosage, which would require frequent appts with Dr. Redmond, and I just couldn't afford it, since he doesn't take health insurance. Right now, I am seeing a holistic internist. He disagreed with Redmond about putting me on another pill. He felt the proper thing to do was find the cause of my low estrogen and other symptoms first. Right now, he suspects I have a candida/leaky gut problem and is treating that through a very restricted diet. He ran a lot of tests which I will discuss the results with him tommorow. Redmond didn't really talk about these possibilities, but he seemed to know more than most doctors about hair loss. Is he worth the $500? I don't know, maybe if you have AGA, but I am not so sure I do. I won't rule out going back to him if I need to, but for now, no. By the way, if you do have a thyroid problem, most sources say armour is better than synthroid, and Redmond prescribed me the synthroid. Not sure if he does prescribe armour though, lots of doctors don't.
amy to 76 is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: YES |
nomoresheds
07.11.2006, 18:52
@ amy to 76
|
borderline hypo? |
» Well, I liked Dr. Redmond, just for the simple fact that he was the first
» doctor who took me seriously. He didn't try to tell me there was nothing
» wrong, it was stress, etc. He said yes, b/c pills can cause hair loss and
» that I had been on, in his opinion, the worst pill ever marketed. But,
» his solution was the same one I guess he gives everyone: bcp and spiro.
» He did suggest yasmin at first, but I had been on that before and it
» didn't help. So he put me on desogen, a hair friendly pill. I chose not
» to take the spiro at that time. I didn't really want the bcp either, but
» I had such low estrogen levels that he felt I needed it, and hoped the
» estrogen in the pill would help my hair. It hasn't though. He did run
» tests and found my borderline hypo, which he gave me a low dose of
» synthroid for. It didn't help either. But, I know with thyroid, you have
» to keep adjusting and trying to find the proper dosage, which would
» require frequent appts with Dr. Redmond, and I just couldn't afford it,
» since he doesn't take health insurance. Right now, I am seeing a holistic
» internist. He disagreed with Redmond about putting me on another pill. He
» felt the proper thing to do was find the cause of my low estrogen and
» other symptoms first. Right now, he suspects I have a candida/leaky gut
» problem and is treating that through a very restricted diet. He ran a lot
» of tests which I will discuss the results with him tommorow. Redmond
» didn't really talk about these possibilities, but he seemed to know more
» than most doctors about hair loss. Is he worth the $500? I don't know,
» maybe if you have AGA, but I am not so sure I do. I won't rule out going
» back to him if I need to, but for now, no. By the way, if you do have a
» thyroid problem, most sources say armour is better than synthroid, and
» Redmond prescribed me the synthroid. Not sure if he does prescribe armour
» though, lots of doctors don't.
Amy- Your thyroid is at a level where some endos would definitely treat you.
nomoresheds is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: YES |
monique
21.11.2006, 20:26
@ Amy
|
borderline hypo? |
There are new TSH ranges. Anything over 3.0 is considered hypothyroid. The top of the range was 5.0 on the old scale. Many labs and doctors are still using the old scale. The new one has been in use for several years. You can do a search on TSH parameters to get the exact numbers. I was hypothyroid and fortunately my doctor treated me. It made an incredible difference in my energy, skin (no more peeling),etc. Unfortunately, the periods are still horribly heavy and I still have a hard time maintaining my weight but where would I be if I wasn't taking anything at all? Good luck!
monique is located in [NA] and he is available to meet: YES |
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